Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) says that the issue of past human rights violations are turned into a political commodity every time there is a presidential election. Yet, after one of the candidates is elected as president, human rights issues are simply ignored.

Jakarta – Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) political observer Hermawan Sulistyo believes that promoting the achievements of Suharto’s New Order (Orba) regime in the 2019 presidential elections will not prove attractive to the millennial generation.

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia – Indonesia Madani Circle (LIMA) director Ray Rangkuti believes that the planned reunion of the Alumni 212 on December 2 is purely a political activity and has no relationship with religion.

Kristian Erdianto, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid says that over the four years that he has been in office, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has taken no significant steps to fulfill his pledge to solve past human rights violations.

Dimas Jarot Bayu – The government plans to form an integrated team to resolve cases of past human rights violations. The team will be formed to dissect the various obstacles and find a solution to resolve the cases.

Lalu Rahadian – “I don’t agree. The Jokowi-JK vision, mission and program has been socialised since May 2014, how many years is it now? Almost five years, but there hasn’t been any progress at all, instead Pak [Mr[ Wiranto has been appointed as Menko Polhukam.”

Sakina Rakhma Diah Setiawan, Jakarta – Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) chairperson Prabowo Subianto attended a friendly gathering and reunion of retired Red Beret (Kopassus Special Forces) officers at the Ciracas Sports Centre in Jakarta on Saturday July 7.

Jakarta – Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo is pessimistic about the chances of resolving past gross human rights violations through legal channels.

Ria Apriyani, May Rahmadi, Jakarta – Presidential spokesperson Johan Budi says that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had long wanted to meet the families of victims of past gross human rights violations.

Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs, former General Wiranto, did not attend a meeting between President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the families of victims and survivors of past human rights violations.

Jakarta – Maria Catarina Sumarsih, the mother of Wawan, a victim of the Semanggi I student shootings, has demanded that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo fulfill his promise to resolve past human rights cases and have the courage to end impunity.

T-shirt reads ‘Law, Corruption, Human Rights, Foreign Debt, Poverty’. Bag reads ‘TKI – Indonesian Migrant Worker’. Exercise machine reads ‘20 Years of Reformasi’.

This Monday marked 20 years since the overthrow of the dictator Suharto in 1998 and the beginning of the political reform process known as Reformasi.

Ternate – The group 20 Years of Reformasi, Win Freedom, Equality and Prosperity Committee (Komitmen) held a campaign action commemorating 20 years of reformasi in front of the Gamalama Market in the North Maluku city of Ternate on Monday May 21.

Rofi Ali Majid – The education system has failed to realise the ideals of reformasi – the reform movement that began with the overthrow of former president Suharto in 1998.

This view was put forward by Max Lane, the author of the book Unfinished Nation: Indonesia Before and After Soeharto.

Abraham Utama – Prabowo Subianto has preempted President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in embracing labour groups in the lead up to the 2019 presidential elections.

Mohammad Bernie – The song Hello Hello Bandung was played and sung along to by thousands of workers who packed into the Senayan Sports Arena (Istora) in Central Jakarta as prospective presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto took to the stage alongside Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (KSPI) president Said Iqbal.

20 years of reformasi: A reminder of the need to win what has yet to be achieved by reformasi – freedom, equality and prosperity.

Long live the workers! Long live the people!

May 1 is symbolic of our struggle against the tyranny of capital and employers who oppress the working class.

Moh. Nadlir, Jakarta – The International People’s Tribunal on 1965 (IPT 65) says that the information revealed in 39 documents on the mass killings following the September 30 Movement (G30S) in 1965 held by the US is nothing new.

On Tuesday August 22 scores of protesters from the Anti-Militarism-Seize Democracy Student Front (FAMRED) launched an action in front of the Yogyakarta State University (UNY) Sports Building (GOR) in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta.

Satya Adhi – An event held to discuss human rights violations that occurred in 1965-1966 has again been closed down by government officials. This time it was an evaluation and planning workshop on human rights violations in 1965-1966 held by the International People’s Tribunal (IPT ‘65) in Klender, East Jakarta, on Tuesday August 1.